WASP

Ethnically, I am a "white" person, of Anglo-Saxon ancestry, brought up as a Protestant Christian. Furthermore, I am a male, raised in a family that would probably be characterized as "upper-middle class".

Though this may change in the future, throughout my lifetime so far these things have placed me in the "dominant" group, with many advantages over others in our society, especially in terms of acquiring wealth and power, and in general having an easier life. I could spend the rest of my life discussing/debating these advantages, but for now I will simply accept the idea that I HAVE had many advantages.

There is at least one area in which being a WASP male puts me at a disadvantage: If I dare to discuss things like race relations or gender inequities, my opinions are automatically discounted, and viewed as being suspect and less valid than those of any in the less-advantaged groups. I will always be vulnerable to accusations of "You just don't get it!" and "There is no way you could ever understand!" These statements are entirely correct.

I realize that in the grand scheme of things, this is not much to complain about, especially when compared with having to face the disadvantages that come from NOT being a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant male from an upper-middle-class family -- sort of like complaining about a shortage of some item at the Country Kitchen Buffet when there are people in the world who are truly starving. Still, it is a real problem when attempting to discuss ideas. The idea of ANYONE having their opinion automatically discounted seems contrary to the idea of communication.

Furthermore, I would argue that ultimately NO ONE can ever truly comprehend another person's situation -- someone who appears to be well off may in fact have overwhelming problems, or someone who appears to be in a horrible situation may be quite happy, or, perhaps most relevant, someone who appears to be in a situation similar to our own may be in a situation that is quite different. The idea of rejecting someone's opinions based upon the idea that they cannot understand another person's situation may be perfectly logical and valid, but it would lead to rejecting EVERYONE'S opinion except your own.

This is a difficult, complicated subject, and I do not claim to have any answers. No one is capable of true objectivity, and no one is capable of pure empathy, no matter how hard we try. I do not claim to be able to comprehend the experiences of people in different situations, or of anyone different from myself, and I am not sure how well I do at comprehending my own situation. Still, I reject the idea that anyone's opinions have no value, and I will continue to offer my own opinions, however flawed.